Harry Potter and the Curse of the Incubus
by SonOfSnape
Summary: Sirius' will didn't say anything about this. Harry has inherited a curse from his Godfather. Something that makes him inhuman. He is an Incubus and must feed off of souls to survive. Harry must find his soul mate and bond with them before the void consumes his own soul instead. Harry/Draco SLASH. Creature!Fic.
1. What Am I?

**A/N: This is my new story. It's a bit darker and more adult that my other one. I wanted to write stories that anyone can read, HPWCHB is a story for younger readers and those who like adventure and lighters stories. This one is darker and directed to those who prefer romance and angst.**

**Please enjoy,**

**Lino Snape**

There was darkness inside of him, emptiness, and it threatened to consume him. He didn't know what to do about it. He wasn't even sure what he felt about it. He just knew it was there. It started during the summer, on the night of his 17th birthday. The day itself had been alright. Harry had gotten cards from Remus and Hagrid, his usual package from Mrs. Weasley, and a bit of parchment that read, 'you've lived another year, Hurrah.' from Draco Malfoy. He had Draco had come to a truce at the end of the last year, and by truce they meant 'no more hexing where teachers can see because I hate having detention with you Potter!' It had become a bit of a grudging mutual amity that was dotted with jinxes and sarcastic comments. It was better than nothing, which is what he got from both Ron and Hermione.

Harry was woken up by a strange feeling in his body. It was as if all his nerve endings had dulled and couldn't feel anything anymore. Worse than being painful, it was nothing. He felt nothing. Looking at the clock on his bedside table, Harry saw it was 1 in the morning. He got off of his bed and went into the bathroom next door. Closing the door and turning on the light next to the mirror, he turned the left knob and put his hand under the water until it was the right temperature. He stood there for almost five minutes before remembering he couldn't feel much of anything, even if he could feel the strange, temperatureless feeling of water running over his hand. He was astonished by it. He knew the water was boiling hot because he could see the steam rising from it. He watched it is as it cascaded over his hand, not burning him or _even feeling warm at all_.

He cupped both hands under the running faucet and splashed water over his face but stopped, the water draining from between limp hands as he looked at his reflection. Harry looked the same as always, messy dark hair, his scar and his bright green eyes, but there was still something off about his reflection. He tilted his head from left to right, trying to see what was different when something glinted back at him. Shocked, Harry stilled. It was his eyes. While they were still bright green, behind them was a glinting silver which gave his eyes a metallic sheen. Equally as shocking as this was to Harry was the fact that when he had left his room he had forgotten to put on his glasses yet he could see perfectly .He was also taller. Much taller than his normal 5'8 inches. He stood there, staring at himself, confused. What was going on? Suddenly feeling extremely fearful, Harry scrambled back to his room and shut the door behind him as if something malevolent was following him. Leaning against the door and breathing hard, Harry tried to calm himself down and think rationally. Maybe this was nothing at all. Maybe it was a side effect of being an adult wizard. His of-age friends hadn't mentioned anything like this, but then again, he hadn't asked either, had he? It was no wonder why, he thought bitterly, any relief from his previous thought draining as he remembered that he hadn't heard from his 'friends' all summer. He had sent out many letters with Hedwig who would always come back with them unopened. He had sent a letter to Dumbledore as well at the beginning of the summer, worried his friends might be in danger, and Dumbledore had replied that they were both well and spending time with their families. This had hurt Harry deeply and he had refused to think about it until then. Now, it just made Harry angry. Harry was used to neglect, but not from people who had pretended to care about him. He felt betrayed and hopeless. In that moment, that hopelessness turned into a black void that seemed to steal any emotions other than indifference from him. He felt like a bottomless pit of nothingness.

Harry straightened from his slump against the door and lay down on his bed again, looking blankly at the ceiling over his head. Harry didn't fall asleep, but saw that it was starting to get light outside. It was almost 7 in the morning. He should get up and start getting breakfast ready. Since Uncle Vernon and Dudley were away visiting Aunt Marge, Harry had been left at home with Aunt Petunia. She wasn't as strict as Vernon was about when breakfast should be ready, so Harry was allowed to sleep in until 7 before having to get up rather than waking up at 5. Slowly, Harry rose from his bed and slid his feet into his thread-bare, hand-me-down slippers and opened his bedroom door. Making his way down the stairs, Harry went into the kitchen, opened the fridge and got to work collecting the things he would need to start making breakfast. About half an hour later, Harry had just finished frying the bacon and was taking the biscuits out of the oven when he heard someone else enter the room. Knowing it was Aunt Petunia, Harry made no move to do anything that continue what he was doing, taking the biscuits off the tray and putting them in a plate and placing it on the table. With his back still to her, Harry went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice, placed it on the table and sat down. Aunt Petunia made no move to do the same. In fact, she hadn't moved at all since she had entered the kitchen. Upon seeing her nephew, she had had the strangest sensation, as if she was falling asleep and everything that was happening at the moment was a dream. It had the same hazy, unrealistic texture that dreams often had, so she was inclined to believe it was one. She was also feeling incredibly warm. After putting food on both of their plates, Harry looked up at his aunt and stared at what he saw. She was standing there, her jaw slack, her eyes glazed over and a light flush on her cheeks. Her blank stare fell on Harry and she moved towards him very slowly, almost as if she were gliding towards him. Harry saw this and started eating. He stopped when instead of going to her seat, Aunt Petunia stopped in front of him.

"Breakfast, Aunt Petunia?" he asked coolly. Her eyes never left his as she reached out a hand to caress his cheek gently. Harry felt a shiver go down his spine. He could actually feel her hand, her warmth. What was this? Involuntarily, he leaned into her touch and found himself purring. It felt so good. The feeling of emptiness was starting to ease up a little bit. He turned his chair so he was facing her and let her continue caressing his face, running her hands through his hair. He wanted more. His body was aching for more. His body wanted the emptiness to disappear. As if she had read this thoughts, she got closer to Harry until she was straddling his lap. Harry could feel her body heat through their clothes and the emptiness went away a little more. He wanted her _closer_, he wanted _more warmth_. He pulled her flush against himself and his purring got louder. She reached in between their bodies, pressing her hand against his chest and moved it lower and lower until she got the waistband of Harry's boxers. He hadn't bothered to change after getting out of bed to make breakfast. Harry gasped quietly as she grasped his flaccid member and started stroking. This was much better, this was what he wanted. He felt warmer and the emptiness went a little further away. When Harry was hard and dripping and panting, Petunia got up off of his lap. This was a strange dream she was having and she wasn't sure why she couldn't wake up. She might as well see where it was going to go.

She unbuttoned the white blouse she was wearing and unhooked her bra, letting her breasts fall free. They were plump and round, her nipples hard and begging for a touch. Harry obliged. Rising from his seat, he pushed Petunia down until she was lying on the ground, the flush in her face more pronounced as she let out a wanton moan when Harry palmed her left breast. He lowered his head and suckled on the other until Aunt Petunia was writhing on the ground, moaning and mewling. Reaching between her legs with his free hand, Harry tore off her underwear and without ceremony entered her with a deep purr. The emptiness was nearly gone, he could barely feel it. Just a bit more. He thrust wildly into her, harder and harder, she arched her back and cried out at some of his harder thrusts but felt nothing but pleasure. The faster and harder Harry thrust, the more the emptiness faded. He was almost there. As Petunia clenched her thighs in the beginning of her climax, Harry thrust into her a few more times before emptying himself inside of her. As he did, he expected the emptiness to leave completely. It didn't. It came back with a vengeance. Harry felt even more desolate and hollow than he had before. He came with a high pitched keening sound that sounded like every sorrowful sound ever heard mixed together as one.

Aunt Petunia woke up in her bed. She sat up rapidly, remembering the dream she had had. It was a deeply disturbing dream. She had dreamt she had had wild, animalistic sex with her nephew. Disgusted with herself, Petunia went downstairs to make herself a cup of tea. The lazy boy probably hadn't made breakfast yet, she thought sourly as she entered the kitchen. What she found there astonished her.

Lying on the floor was something leathery, black and pulsating. Wings, she realized. Something was curled up in two large, black, bat-like wings in the middle of her kitchen. The wings were covered in blood and what looked like torn skin, as was her kitchen. Looking around she saw scraps of her favorite white blouse and one of her pairs of panties hanging off of the faucet in the sink. So it wasn't a dream, she thought, her whole face turning red and her eyes widening in disbelief. Then what—

At this moment the wings unfurled, revealing the half-naked body lying, shivering on the floor. Suddenly his head turned and his metallic green eyes pierced Aunt Petunia's soul. She fell to her knees because they could no longer support her as she looked into the face of something from her nightmares. Its body was the size of a man's, roughly six feet tall. It had two large wings that hung from its back like a long cloak rather than folding in closer to its body and was riddled with holes. Its chest was bare and muscular, flexing threateningly at her. Its forearms and calves were covered with black fur and its hands and feet were talons with sharp claws. Its face was that of her nephew, but with higher, sharper cheekbones, fangs that protruded from under its upper lip and a cruel glint in its eyes that was only superseded by the emptiness behind them. It got up on all fours and arched its back, it's long tail lashing from side to side and the hairs that went down its spine rising and forming a crest that stopped only at the nape of Harry's hair.

Harry, felt numb again. He couldn't feel the cold linoleum that he was lying on. He couldn't feel the sun's warmth as the light rotated and fell on him as time passed. Unexpectedly, he felt a sharp pain in his back that contrasted nicely with the numbness he felt everywhere else. He watched the graceful arcs of blood as something tore out of him. He felt an itching starting in his arms and lifted one to his face. His hand was covered in fur and his fingernails were turning to claws. His arm fell limply to the floor as Harry realized he didn't care anymore, he _couldn't_ care anymore. He couldn't move any part of his body as things broke and fixed themselves. Instinctually, Harry wrapped his wings around himself so he wouldn't see or hear anything either.

Harry's body stopped shifting things and moving them around. He unfurled the wings from around himself and saw his Aunt standing there and watched as she fell to her knees. As she grew more and more pale, Harry could feel himself slowly regaining a little bit of will to live. He could keep going. He had to keep going. He had to find the something that would take the void away. He turned away from his aunt, his mind no longer on her, so he didn't notice when she tumbled to the ground, her eyes wide open, her skin as pale as paper and her lungs no longer breathing. He rose completely and went into the living room. There was only one place he could go now and maybe he would find answers there as well.

Harry stepped out of the fire to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Remus, who had been reading the newspaper in front of the fire started and grabbed his wand when the fire turned green, pointing it at the intruder. There were only two places that had floo access to Grimmauld Place. Seeing what was in front of his eyes and believing it were two different things entirely. No, he thought, it can't be.

"Harry?" he asked incredulously, lowering his wand slowly, for there indeed stood Harry Potter though he didn't look like himself at all. Remus had only seen this once before, but it was impossible—

"Sirius, what have you done?"

Harry had been surprised to see Remus there in front of the fire. Usually the other man was in the library or in his room. Harry had bared his fangs in a knee-jerk reaction to the wand being pointed at him and Remus had growled at him thought it seemed the man didn't know he had, because he stood there looking as surprised as ever.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, and then blinked. His voice was deep and seductive and dripped sensuality. Remus seemed immune to it though, because he looked at Harry thoughtfully before gesturing at the other chair in front of the fire. They both sat, Harry gingerly, afraid he might hurt his wings, and Remus, flopping down tiredly, looking old beyond his years as he looked at his best friend's son.

"Oh, Harry. I don't know where to start." He sighed wearily. He stared into the fire for a few minutes. It had gone back from green to red and gold. Harry was sitting, waiting, and losing his patience.

"How about you start at the beginning?" Harry growled. Remus' eyes flashed gold for a second and he sat up straight and looked at Harry sternly.

"Harry…" Harry got up and started pacing, his wings dragging behind him like a cloak that was too long.

"No! I'm tired of this. Why does everything like this have to happen to me? What am I? What have I done?" Harry was babbling in his agitation. Remus rose and put a hand on Harry's shoulder, stopping him. Harry snarled and snapped at it, Remus growled viciously and snapped back at Harry. The two of them stood there a foot apart, growling fiercely at each other. Remus regained himself first. Seeing Remus back down made Harry stop growling as well. As he realized what he had been doing, Harry threw himself into his chair and put his face in his hands, releasing a wail of despair. Remus sat stiffly.

"Well I suppose we could start there. We're both extremely dark creatures. I'm a werewolf and you are an Incubus." Harry raised his head at this.

"An Incubus? You mean that vampire that sleeps with women? How did I become one? Why did I become one? What am I going to do now?"

"An Incubus isn't a vampire. It's actually a storm god from ancient times. It puts people into a trance and has sex with them, trying to fill the void. Since the victims often wake up, muggles who have been…taken…by Incubi believe that they were seduced in their sleep. They often times feel drained as well because the incubus often takes some soul energy from the person. Muggles thought the drained feeling came from being drained of blood. That is where the vampire theory came from. As to how you became one, Harry. Well, you were cursed."

"Cursed?" Harry exclaimed loudly. "Cursed by who? Why?" Remus rubbed his forehead.

"I believe you were cursed by Sirius," Seeing Harry's stunned face, he continued, "but not on purpose! Do not misunderstand! Sirius was the one who was cursed, initially. He too was an Incubus. I believe that when he died and left you everything…he left you the curse as well, not knowing this would happen."

"Sirius…was like me?" Remus nodded. "But…he seemed so…"

"Happy?" Remus supplied. Harry thought about the word for a minute than nodded.

"Yeah, happy. All I feel is empty and hollow all the time." Remus looked at Harry knowingly and sadly, nodding.

"You will be like that until you can find the person who makes you whole, your soul mate."

"So Sirius had a soul mate? Who was it?" Harry pondered out loud, looking at the carpet. After a few moments of silence, he looked up to see Remus staring into the fire. His eyes were filled with unshed tears that reflected the flames that danced in the hearth. Harry understood.

"It was you, wasn't it?" It was more a statement that a question. Remus nodded solemnly.

"An Incubus satisfies its need for sustenance by taking part of the soul of a human being through one of the most soulful acts they can perform; making love. When you find the person who makes you whole, you no longer have to do that because your soul will feed off of theirs and theirs off of yours indefinitely." Harry pondered this thoroughly before asking suspiciously,

"What kind of person, exactly?" He knew that it wasn't going to be _easy_, after all, he was Harry _fucking_ Potter. Remus nodded at Harry's astute question.

"They will also have to be a dark creature, for only a dark creature will be able to give their soul wholly unto you." Harry sighed as if he had known all along how it was going to be for him.

"How do I know that they're my soul mate?"

"It'll be someone you have known most of your life, someone you feel strongly for. This person won't suddenly become your soul mate, they already are. So don't worry. You'll both figure it out eventually." Harry rolled his eyes bitterly. He was going to die before he found his soul mate, if that was the case.

"I suppose you're going to want to stop looking like," here he gestured to Harry in general, "this, yes?" Harry snorted.

"That would be nice." He said dryly. Remus gave him a tired smile and taught him the strong glamour Sirius had used. When Harry had it down and could do it to himself, he turned to Remus again.

"If I can do this to myself, can't my soul mate as well? How will I know that they're a dark creature?"

"Dark creatures see each other as they really are. Looking at you, I can see through your glamour. I'm not as powerful a dark creature so I don't wear one, but look hard enough and you'll see me for what I am as well." He looked Harry in the eye and Harry looked back. For a moment all he saw was the same old Remus Lupin he had always known, but then his vision shifted. Instead of his kind, brown eyes, Remus had the wild, proud golden eyes of a wolf. Fangs were only just poking out from under his top lip and his fingernails had lengthened into claws. The minute he saw it, he couldn't _unsee_ it.

"This is the way I really am, Harry. Just as this is the way you really are. Normal people and Wizards can't see it but we can see each other. It's an advantage we have over them. Harry noticed in Remus's eyes the same metallic sheen he had seen in his own eyes. _That must be what makes us able to see it_, he guessed.

Remus had decided that it was for the best that Harry stay with him at Grimmauld Place. They took the floo back to Number 4 Privet Drive to gather Harry's things. As they walked from the living room to the kitchen, Remus stood there, unmoving, unable to process what he was seeing. Sprawled on the floor was Harry's Aunt Petunia, barely breathing and surrounded by walls covered in sticky blood. When Harry caught sight of this, he went pale.

"D-did I do this?" he whispered fearfully. Remus didn't answer and went over to her and felt for her pulse.

"She's still alive, but barely. Harry, help me take her to the sofa." Together the two of them carried her to the sofa and lay her down. Remus checked over her then stopped when he saw the inside of her wrist, eyes widening is shock.

"Harry…" Harry peered over the werewolf's shoulder. On the inside of her wrist where a Dark Mark would be was a thin, dark line that made the shape of a lightning bolt…just like the one on Harry's forehead.

"Harry…you almost sucked the soul right out of her…and this mark…how?" Harry shrugged hopelessly. He knew nothing about this! Then realized what else Remus had just said.

"I-I sucked the soul out of…" rather than finishing his sentence, Harry turned his head to the other side of the couch and promptly emptied the contents of his stomach on the floor. He had had sex with his aunt?

"How—why can't I remember?" Harry mumbled, still feeling ill. He dry heaved a few times before his stomach calmed down. Remus was looking at him with an indescribable emotion on his face. Harry wanted to throw up again.

"When did you first start feeling…different?"

"The night of my birthday. I woke up after midnight and I felt strange…" Remus's eyes widened and he looked away, tending to Petunia.

"I see." After that there was no conversation. Harry had never hated himself more that he did right now. He had slept with his aunt and nearly killed her too and give her a mark she would probably have to live with for the rest of her life. He honestly wanted nothing to do with himself. These emotions were neatly swept into the void and the boundaries of the emptiness grew larger. Remus cleared his throat and Harry looked up, his face blank. Remus looked into the boy's eyes and felt like he was falling into the abyss. Harry was an extremely powerful incubus. Even during his first feeding, he had nearly drained an entire soul!

"Harry. Listen to me Harry. This is not your fault. If anything it is the fault of those who treat you badly or hurt you. The more negative feelings towards themselves an incubus has, the more powerful they are. People have been treating you badly your whole life, trampling on your self-esteem and making you feel like less than nothing. It's those feelings of nothingness that increase the void, the feeling that you are empty. The more and more the void increases, the harder it will be on your soul mate. If your need to feed on the souls of people is too much, you might do to your soul mate what you've done to your aunt."

Harry nodded slowly, taking the information and storing it for future use, still not looking Remus in the eye. He still felt disgusted with himself. Would his soul mate even want to have anything to do with him if they knew? Harry felt his head snap to the side and turned to look at Remus who was glaring at him and baring his teeth, Harry hissed in response. He hadn't felt any pain, but why would he hit him?

"I can tell by your facial expression you were thinking self-depreciating thoughts. Snap out of it!" Harry recoiled and wrapped his tail around one of his thighs at the tone of the werewolf's voice.

"Sorry." He said dully. He looked at the mark on his aunt's wrist. "What does that mean?" Remus was trying another spell on her, to increase her heart rate when he answered.

"It means that she belongs to you, body and soul. Some incubi don't bother finding their soul mate, instead they collect people and mark them. The mark makes the people follow the incubi wherever he goes, unconsciously. It happens to mostly powerful incubi who need more than one person to sustain them." Harry sincerely hoped this didn't happen to him. He only wanted his soul mate and no other person if this was what happened to them.

"How do I get rid of it." He asked. Remus looked surprised.

"Why would you want to? You might need it. Your soul mate might not be powerful enough to sustain you."

"Then I'll find other people after we've determined that. How do I get rid of it?" Harry insisted. Remus sighed. Harry was so stubborn.

"The only way to get rid of the mark on her arm is to either claim another, or have a soul mate that is just as strong as you." Harry nodded thinking about this.

"Just one, right?" he asked, confirming. Remus nodded.

"So far you seem to only need one. If you needed more, you would hardly be sitting here talking to me, you would have found another." He stood up from where he had been kneeling next to Petunia's head.

"I've done all I can for her. Thank god you didn't suck all of it out. Her soul will recover in a few days. She'll seem unlike herself for a while, but she'll be alive." Harry sighed. That was all he could ask for.

"This sucking out of people's souls…it, well, it reminds me bit of Dementors." Harry said while getting his trunk out from the cupboard under the stairs that had once been his room.

"Incubi are the distant cousins of Dementors. They both have the same origins, but they evolved differently." Remus grabbed on end of the trunk when Harry had dragged it back into the living room and grabbed a handful of the floo powder that was hidden behind a picture of a large pink boy with blond hair. They both stood in the green flames and called out, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!"


	2. Dark Creatures at Hogwarts? Please

Harry spent the next month living at Grimmauld place with Remus and quite enjoyed it. A few of the people from the Order came through and they were pleased to see Harry, but much to his chagrin( or relief, he wasn't sure), neither Ron nor Hermione showed up. Remus, for the most part, tried his best to keep Harry from wallowing by assigning him tasks and helping him search for is soul mate.

Both of them were convinced that Harry's soul mate was at Hogwarts. After all, almost all of the people Harry knew who could be magical Dark creatures were probably at Hogwarts because everyone he knew was there. Harry was almost excited to get back to school except for the fact he would have to see his two 'best friends'. Remus assured Harry not to feel anything too negative, he was sure they had their reasons for not contacting Harry all summer. When Harry mentioned the returned letters, however, Remus had nothing to say which left Harry feeling both smug and sad.

Another thing he and Remus did during that month was go through the books in the library and in Sirius' room to find any more information on Incubi. One of the books they had found under Sirius' bed was rather helpful. It told about the origins of the Incubi and how they were descended from the same darkness as the Dementors. It could apparently be seen in the similarities of what sustained them and the way they looked. It drew a comparison between the hoods of the Dementors and the wings of the Incubi. Harry did, albeit grudgingly, admit that when his wings weren't spread, they did look a bit like a cloak in that they covered his whole body. Another of the books told them about how long it would take before Harry could use his wings to fly. This actually did excite Harry. If there was one thing he loved doing, it was flying. It would be two months before his newly acquired wings would become strong enough to bear his weight.

The last book they found that gave any useful information was about the mating and breeding habits if incubi, embarrassingly enough for Harry. Remus smirked and told Harry he might want to take that book to school with him. Harry had scowled and grabbed the book out of his hand, flushing and muttering about 'annoying werewolves' sticking their noses into things. All in all, it was a pretty pleasant end to his summer. Aunt Petunia had recovered, for the most part, but did seem strangely attached to her absent nephew.

When the day before Harry would leave for the Hogwarts Express had arrived, he had gone into Remus' room to ask him something and saw him packing as well.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Remus, who had heard Harry long before he had made himself known turned around, grinning.

"Guess who the new Defense teacher is again this year?" Harry also grinned and let out a loud whoop, embracing his dear friend.

"Really, Remus! That's great! We might actually learn something again this year!" Caught up Harry's enthusiasm, Remus hugged Harry back and sent him to finish packing. Having almost forgotten what he had gone in there to ask, Harry turned around again.

"Hey, Remus, how do you feel now that…you know…" He hadn't really wanted to bring it up, but it was important.

"You mean after Sirius died? Well, I feel like I did before I had met him, really. He wasn't a very powerful Incubus. Why do you ask?" Harry frowned pensively.

"It's just that…with Voldemort and all. I don't want my soul mate to suffer if I die." Remus bit his lip in thought. Harry would have laughed at the image if it hadn't been such a serious conversation. Remus' fang was nipping his bottom lip and this made him look like a puppy.

"I suppose you'll have to find out. Maybe one of those books we found will have an answer." Harry nodded and went back to his room to finish packing.

That night Harry hardly got any sleep. He was having a nightmare, or so he thought. It was a big convoluted mess. There were fangs and blood and feathers and frightening eyes and a voice that was saying some indecipherable word he couldn't understand.

The next morning, Remus knocked on Harry's door to wake him, but found he was already up. He looked exhausted and his movements were slow and sluggish. He managed to shower, get dressed, and get his trunk downstairs in less than an hour though. He sat down to a simple breakfast of eggs and toast with Remus, who was again reading the newspaper. They ate in a comfortable silence before there was a knock on the door. Harry, who had just finished eating, put his plate in the sink and went to open it. Standing on the porch was Kingsley Shacklebolt. He smiled at Harry who stepped aside to let him in. Remus shook his hand and was told that Dumbledore had sent to him to escort them to the platform.

They took their trunks outside, said a silent farewell to Number Twelve, and got in the ministry car that was waiting for them. The car ride was quiet. Kinsley was driving, an Auror was in the front seat and Remus and Harry were sitting next to each other in the back, looking out of their own windows, both of them deep in thought. Harry was wondering about is soul mate. He had started reading the embarrassing book they had found and had discovered that he only had five or so years to find his soul mate, or he would die. The void would take him over and there would be nothing left but a shell. He shuddered. Remus was wondering why Dumbledore had asked him to come back. The last time he had taught at Hogwarts, the parents of many students had made it clear that they did not want a werewolf teaching their children. Why was Dumbledore ignoring this and facing potentially angering parents? Remus didn't know, but he hoped he found out soon. He didn't like being used to fill other people's agendas without the knowledge of what their agenda was.

And hour or so later after leaving Grimmauld Place, they made it to King's Cross station. Kingsley got out of the car and gestured to the Auror to take the wheel and go find a parking space. After the man had left with the car, the three others went into the train station. They were right on time as well. They could see many wizarding families making their ways towards Platform 9 ¾. As they got closer, Harry thought he saw a head of red hair with another head of brown, curly hair making their way towards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Not wanting to seem too eager, he waited patiently with Remus until it was their turn. Finally, they went through the wall and found themselves in front of the bright red steam-engine train. Kingsley took their bags and went to put at the back of the train while the other two waited for him where they were. He came and they said goodbye, Harry feeling both anticipation and dread about getting on the train. He passed Ron and Hermione's compartment but saw that it was full and neither of them had so much as looked at him. Sighing resignedly, he didn't stop until he had found an empty compartment and sat there alone. After a few minutes of contemplating what to do, Harry pulled out his book on Incubus breeding and got to reading.

The train set off and Remus had checked in on Harry once before, then stared making his rounds as a teacher on board. Harry was getting rather far in the book when he heard his compartment door slide open. He looked up and saw Luna Lovegood entering his compartment and closing the door behind her. She smiled at him and to the seat across from him. Harry smiled back and watched as she pulled a magazine out of the confines of her large, extremely colorful purse and started reading it upside down. Smiling fondly at her, he returned to his reading. Another hour passed in complete silence. Then Luna put down her magazine and stared at Harry.

"Your wings are very pretty." She said airily. Harry looked at her and said nothing. He was sure he was wearing his glamour—

"Those fancy glamours don't work on me." She said in a singsong voice. Harry continued to look at her, leaning forwards, when she sighed.

"I'm not a dark creature either, so you won't see anything by looking at me like that." Harry sat back in his seat.

"H—how?" he managed at long last. Luna giggled.

"I've always been able to see dark creatures. Ever since I was very little." That really explained nothing, but Harry decided not to mention that.

"Oh." She smiled at him again and continued staring as Harry went back to his book.

"He's going to be beautiful, you know." She said conversationally. Harry looked up at her again, confused.

"What?" Who was going to beautiful? She smiled serenely and swatted at something invisible over her head.

"Your son. He's going to be gorgeous. Harry nearly dropped the book on the floor when he heard the word 'baby' come out of her mouth.

"Huh?" _Boy am I eloquent today_, he thought scornfully to himself. Luna didn't seem to notice as she answered him anyway.

"But he won't be here for a while. At least not until you learn to fly." She made a flapping motion with her hands to show what she meant. Harry was still stunned. He had a hard time believing what she was saying, but he had a long history of people warning him, him not believing them and that coming back to bite him in the ass. Also, he knew better than to doubt anything Luna said about him. He could doubt her stories about Nargles and such things, but when she said something specific about a person, she was almost always right.

Harry nodded at her, smiled and went back to reading with more vigor. There were only a dozen or so Dark Creatures that could mate with an Incubus and produce a child. Luna picked her magazine back up and went back to reading it wrong side up. She had always liked Harry. She hoped everything worked out for him this time.

The train pulled into Hogsmead station, rousing Harry from his thoughts. He looked at his book and realized he hadn't turned a single page since he had spoken to Luna. Putting the book away, he got his bag down and helped Luna with hers. Together they made their way off of the train and onto the platform. They left the station with their trunks and pets in hand. Luna was humming a random tune and looking around herself as if she had never taken the trip before. She didn't notice that Harry had stopped walking and found her face full of his back. Harry was smiling.

"Firs' years this way! Firs' years ter me!" Bellowed a familiar voice. Hagrid was an enormous silhouette in the midst of a foggy night, but it was very clearly him calling the nervous first years in his direction. Pulling his wand from his pocket, Harry turned and sent both his and Luna's luggage to the castle before grabbing her hand and dragging her along with him towards the half-giant. Rather than being indignant or annoyed, Luna seemed happily in her element, stumbling after Harry and waving at people who looked at them.

"Hagrid!" Harry called as they stopped a few feet away from him, Luna patting her windswept hair down. The large man looked up and a wide grin split his face.

"'Arry!" He boomed genially. Other than Remus, Hagrid had been the only other friendly face Harry had seen frequently that summer. To other people's eyes, Hagrid was maybe two or three feet taller than the average man, to Harry and Luna, he was much taller than that. In fact, they both had to crane their necks to see his face properly. Hagrid had been positively supportive to Harry's plight and had told him that if he was having any problems, ever, to come and see him. Harry was slightly more comforted to have two other dark creatures he could go to if the need arose. Them and well…

"An' Luna! Yer gonna help me ter take care of 'em Thestrals this year too, yeah?" Luna grinned and nodded.

"Of course Hagrid! And any other magical creatures you need help with." Hagrid patted her head with two fingers.

"Good. The two o' you best get going 'afore there aren't any more carriages." Harry looked over his shoulder to see that there were indeed very few carriages left. He and Luna said their goodbyes and promised seek Hagrid out later before they went their separate ways; Harry and Luna to the carriages and Hagrid to the boats with the trembling first years following after him like little ducklings.

When Harry and Luna made it to where the carriages were waiting, there was only one left. Seeing as they had no choice Harry helped Luna into it and took a seat next to the window. Sitting across from him was Blaise Zabini and sitting next to him was Pansy Parkinson. The ride was silent except for Luna's humming. Harry was gazing outside of the window, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. He and Draco had come to an understanding, but their friends, not so much. He got along with Pansy and Blaise though. Tired of the silence and somewhat bored, Harry addressed them.

"Zabini, Parkinson." Pansy granted him a small smile and Blaise inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Potter, Lovegood." Luna looked up from her magazine when she heard her name and grinned.

"Hello Blaise, Pansy! Did you two have a nice summer?" Blaise and Pansy looked at each other and shrugged. Why not? The four of them spoke to each other about what they had done that summer, Harry leaving out his transformation and any information about the order.

"Lupin is teaching again this year?" Pansy asked. Harry nodded. She sighed.

"At least we'll be taught properly for once." Blaise snorted in amusement. That snort brought something else to Harry's attention.

"Where's Malfoy?" Blaise stiffened and Pansy huffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"He should already be at the castle. He had a meeting with Dumbledore." Harry stored this away for future study and changed the subject.

They arrived at the front gates of the castle and got out, Pansy and Blaise getting their bags and sending them to their rooms. The four of them entered the building and went through the door that would take them to the Great Hall. Blaise, being in front, opened the door for the other three, then stepped though himself. The Hall was already packed and noisy with people greeting old friends and inquiring about their summers. The two Slytherins broke off of the other two with a wave from Blaise and a smile from Pansy. Luna left Harry at the next table with a hug and a promise to see him later. He walked up to the very last table in the Hall.

When some of the other Gryffindors saw him, they fell silent or they waved. Of the last group, Dean and Seamus were the most enthusiastic.

"Harry! Harry! Over here mate!" Harry shook his head, amused and walked over to where the two boys sat, taking the seat in between them.

"How was your summer, Harry?" asked Dean, grinning widely. Seamus leaned in on Harry's other side, wanting to hear his answer. Before he could speak, however, there was a snort from across the table.

"Yes, what _was_ the Chosen One doing all summer long?" Ron sneered. Harry stared at him, shocked. Then his shock turned to anger.

"Hoping to talk to you, believe it or not! Is it too hard for you to answer a fucking letter once in a while?" Ron glared at Harry and Harry was shocked by the utter hatred he saw in his friend's eyes.

"Why would I want to write to you? It's all your fault, Boy-Who-Lived-To-Do-Nothing! Percy is dead because of you!" Harry was taken aback. _Percy was dead_? Ron scoffed at Harry's disbelieving face.

"While you were off doing whatever, I was looking for my brother's body! I was busy planning his funeral! Comforting my mum! Honestly, it was then that I realized being friends with you is nothing but trouble." Harry felt his heart sink, he had always wondered why anyone would ever want to be friends with him. He looked to Hermione who glanced at him dispassionately.

"It's true Harry. Being your friend is a risk. People tend to die around you and some of us are not willing to take that chance." The void was rising and swallowing every word she said and gurgled happily when it tasted Harry's despair. He was feeling so numb he didn't even feel Seamus stand up next to him, glaring angrily at the two across from him.

"Oi! None of this is his fault! It's not like he went himself and killed Perce! Harry has to save everyone, is that what you're thinking? How would you like it if it was you?"

It was Dean's turn to get up and yell at the pair when the doors to the Great Hall opened suddenly, making all of the tables fall silent. In walked Professor Snape, Dumbledore, and most surprisingly, Draco Malfoy. Harry's head had snapped up when the doors had opened and he stared at Draco. The other boy didn't look too god. He was paler than usual and extremely thin. There were dark shadows under his eyes and his hair was no longer shiny and neat, but dull and bedraggled. He looked like he was at death's door. When Dumbledore and Snape had made it to the Head Table, the students began to talk again. Harry's eyes shifted to Blaise and Pansy, seeing the horror on their faces as Draco walked slowly towards them. They moved immediately to help him when they saw him about to fall and sat him in between them. Pansy leaned in and was whispering furiously at him while Blaise glared at anyone one who dared look at him. Whatever Pansy was saying, Draco apparently wanted to hear none of it, because he shook his head and glared at her, causing her to fall silent.

At the teacher's table, Dumbledore stood behind his seat and cleared his throat. The renewed conversations stopped instantly.

"Another year is beginning at Hogwarts. I'm glad to see all of your faces again. Before we start the sorting, there are a few issues I'd like to address. Firstly, there is the matter of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. This year I have brought back professor Lupin. For those of you who are worried about your parents, fear not. I have already contacted them and they have all agreed he would be the best choice. Secondly, I must stress that students are not to be out of bed after curfew. It is for your own safety. And thirdly, if you would all be so kind, please begin to refer to Mr. Malfoy as Mr. Black from now on."

The last one cause murmurs to erupt in the Hall. People were busy speculating why Draco's name had been changed. Harry was equally confused. Seeing the depressed look on Seamus' face, he turned to him.

"What does that mean?" Seamus shook his head sadly.

"It means his father had disowned him. I'm guessing he's kept the name Black because his mother hasn't." Harry turned away from him to look over at the Slytherin table. Draco was looking into his empty plate, his face devoid of emotion.

"Let the sorting begin!" Dumbledore ordered. Professor McGonagall led the first years into the Hall and had them sit under the hat one by one. The table clapped when one of the first years was sorted into their house. Harry wasn't paying attention. He had just seen one of the Hufflepuff prefects' ears change shape. _This whole 'seeing other dark creatures' thing is going to get old, fast._

After a few more minutes of observing the other students to see if there were others, Harry realized Dumbledore was about to speak again. He hadn't seen anyone else change, but there were so many people in the Hall and all of them were moving so much…He'd see later.

"…There is a list on Filch's door of all the objects that are not allowed in the hallways. Students are not allowed to go into the Forbidden Forest because it is, well, forbidden. Now no more talking, time to eat!" He waved his arms in a grand gesture and the four tables were soon covered with foods of all sorts. Seamus and Dean tucked in. Even Ron was eating with his usual voracious appetite. Harry saw that Draco was refusing to eat anything more than a light onion soup. Harry frowned. If anyone was going to know the signs of someone having been starved, it was Harry. Eating anything too rich or heavy would only make you get sick. Harry resolved to talk to Draco as soon as the feast was over.

About an hour later, people started to get up and leave and the prefects had started rounding up the first years in order to take them to the dorms. Harry said a hasty goodbye to Dean and Seamus and ran towards the Slytherin table. Draco had just left the Hall and Pansy was calling after him, to no avail. He disappeared into the crowd of student eager to sleep now that they were full.

Pansy stopped running and Harry fell into step beside her. She sighed.

"He won't talk to me even though I know something's wrong." She sounded so hurt, Harry felt the need to tell her something even if there was nothing she could do about it.

"He's been starved. That's why he won't eat anything but soup. Trust me." He said the last part when she turned her head to look at him skeptically. Blaise joined them outside of the doors, looking worried. He looked at Pansy and she shook her head. Blaise cursed. They stood there in the Entrance Hall for a little while longer before Pansy spoke.

"We should probably go to bed now." She said quietly. The two boys nodded and the Slytherins said goodbye to Harry who took the stairs as they headed down to the dungeons. The trip to Gryffindor tower didn't take too long and Harry was lost in thought the entire way. He didn't even notice he had arrived until the Fat Lady asked for the password for the tenth time.

"_Saeculum saeculi_." He said. She swung open and he stepped over the threshold and into the common room. Ignoring everyone, he climbed the stairs to the 7th year boy's dormitories and went in. His trunk was at the end of his four poster bed and Hedwig was on his nightstand. She had obviously been waiting for him to come, as she hooted at him and flew out the window. Harry was so lost in thought he didn't notice Ron and Hermione on Ron's bed arguing with Dean and Seamus and Neville. He just transfigured his clothes into pajamas and lay down, closing the curtains around his bed and went to sleep.

He woke up with a start. Opening the curtain just a crack, he saw that it was still dark outside and his roommates were sleeping. He lay back down and tried to go to sleep. He had class in a few hours. He tossed and turned for a few minutes in vain. He wasn't getting back to sleep. Bored and annoyed, he took his map out from under his bed and tapped it with his wand.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The ink on the map spread from the names at the top until all of Hogwarts was drawn on it. He was looking for Filch to make sure the man was nowhere near Gryffindor tower so he could sneak out when he saw a dot on the seventh floor. _Draco Black_. It was going to take a while to get used to Draco's new last name. He saw the dot hover in place for a few seconds before it disappeared off the map. Harry nodded and cleared the map. He was in the Room of Requirement.

He slid out from behind the curtains hanging around his bed and opened his trunk quietly. He pulled out his invisibility cloak and snuck out of the room. When he got to the common room, he almost stepped on someone's cat. Thankfully it had moved at the last second. This scared Harry and he nearly fell over, but his tail helped him regain his balance. He had almost forgotten he had the thing. Shaking his head, Harry opened the portrait gently so as not to wake its tenant, and slipped out. It took him a while to reach the seventh floor and it was almost light outside before he got there. Standing in front of what he knew was the Room, he wasn't sure what to say. He finally settled on "_take me to where Draco is" _and a door appeared on his third back and forth.

He opened it just enough to stick his head in. It was a nice room with a fireplace and a couch and a small desk facing a window. Harry heard retching coming from somewhere, so he entered the room completely and searched for the source of the sound. He followed it to a door opposite the couch, and opened it. He was first overcome by the sour smell of bile, then by the sight of his classmate and former enemy on his knees in front of the toilet. Draco was so weak; he hadn't even lifted his head from where it rested on the toilet seat to see who had come in. His breathing seemed labored and his cheeks were sunken in. He wasn't wearing a shirt so Harry could see every rib and every vertebrae move as Draco's body rolled, another wave of nausea hitting him. Harry rushed forwards and grabbed hold of Draco's hair, pulling it away from the toilet as he dry heaved. His hair had gotten longer well and was touching the floor near his feet as he leaned away from the toilet and moaned.

It hurt so much. He didn't even have anything left in his stomach to throw up anymore after he had gotten rid of the pathetically small amount of soup he had been able to consume. He was shaking. He felt someone let go of his hair and pull his body against theirs. He struggled away from them weakly. He didn't want anyone seeing him in this state. It was bad enough anyone had seen him at all. Harry looked at Draco's flushed face and felt his forehead. He was burning up with fever. Harry hoisted him up to a standing position, placed one of his limp arms around his neck, and picked him up bridal style. He walked out into the main room and saw that the Room had provided a bed. He carefully placed Draco on it and pulled the covers over him. Draco moaned again. Everything hurt. He wanted to die. Anything but this. Harry went back to the bathroom and emerged with a washbasin and a small towel. He placed them on the nightstand that appeared and placed the cool towel on Draco's forehead. He did this and brushed Draco's hair off of his face in intervals until Draco fell into a fitful sleep.

Harry saw that it was almost time for him to get back to his room. He got up and made his way to the door. Looking back at Draco's sickly figure, he mentally asked the room to make sure no one else was able to get in but himself and that Draco couldn't leave.

Making his way back to the tower was harder than sneaking out had been. Because of the time, he was able to convince the Fat Lady that he had been at the pitch doing some early morning exercise. He made it back up to his dorm room without any disasters, grabbed his clothes for the day from his trunk and went to bathroom to take a shower.

When he came out, thirty minutes later, his roommates had begun to stir. He went and woke Seamus and told him to take a shower and wake Dean and Neville; he would wait for them in the common room. Seamus agreed sleepily and rolled off his bed onto the floor. Harry had to hold a back a laugh and left, closing the door gently behind him.


	3. Fuck You' Taken to a Whole New Level

**Hello my beloved readers! I'm so very sorry for the delay. I just started my sophomore year of University and I wanted to get most of the way through the quarter and get away from midterms. I'll be posting another chapter of this and one for my other story during Thanksgiving as well. Thanks for sticking with me!**

**Did you know my Dad's name is Latin for 'strict'? Probably, I mean, Severus= Severe. But did you know my name in Latin means 'erase', 'overlap', or 'defile'? Neither did I… My name is also an anagram for 'lion' interestingly enough. I **_**am **_**the first Snape to be sorted into Gryffindor after all. *****Smirk***** Bet he didn't think of that when naming me!**

**Please enjoy!**

**Lino Snape 3**

Sitting in the common room, looking into the fireplace, Harry's thoughts were consumed with Malfoy. He had looked horrible, as if he were a few minutes from death. Pity was the overwhelming feeling Harry felt every time he thought about the other boy. He would then feel like a terrible hypocrite. When he had been in the same situation, the last thing he had wanted to see on people's faces was pity. He would lash out or ignore people. Harry was so deep in his mind that he didn't hear his friends coming up behind him.

"Oi, Harry! We're here, we're starving, let's go!" Harry jumped about a foot in th air at the sound of Seamus' voice.

"Bloody hell Seam! Give a bloke a heart attack why don't you!" He just laughed and grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him after the others as they made their way out of the portrait hole. Shaking his head at his companion's antics, Harry saw a staircase that lead to the seventh floor corridor he had been in yesterday. Turning to his friends, he told them he had forgotten something in the dorms. He waited until he could no longer hear them before racing up the stairs. He wanted to check on Draco.

He paced and the door appeared. He opened it gently, trying not to make any noise. He made his way into the bedroom because the living room was still dark and stared at the bed. The blankets were all over the place, and Harry could see a thin, pale leg at an awkward angle as if it's owner had been thrashing restlessly all night. He approached the bed slowly and recovered Draco. His face was partially obscured by his long blond hair, but what was visible looked strained. Harry made to brush the hair off of the other boy's face when Draco's eyes opened. His eyes were dull and unfocused.

"H-harry?" he croaked, his voice sounding like wind over sand, it was so quiet. Harry sat next to him on the bed, sitting gently so as not to jostle the delicate occupant.

"Yes, Draco." He finally gave into his earlier urge and brushed the hair out of Draco's face. Draco closed his eyes and leaned into the touch so briefly, Harry wasn't sure it happened. His eyes opened again, looking less dull, but still lifeless.

"Thank you for helping me." he said in his barely audible voice. Harry wouldn't have heard him, had he not been unconsciously leaning closer to the other boy in the first place. Draco hadn't seemed to notice and was curling into a ball, facing Harry. As he turned, the bed sheets were moved and Harry caught sight of Draco's bony shoulder. The other boy was already back asleep, having used whatever energy he had in the first place. Harry left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Walking through the sitting room, he snapped his fingers and Dobby appeared with a small 'pop'.

"Yes Master Harry?" the elf said eagerly. Harry smiled at him and sat on his haunches to be at eye level with his friend.

"Hello Dobby. My friend Draco is very sick and very tired. I was wondering if you would help me take care of him?" Dobby's enormous eyes widened incredulously.

"Master Draco is being sick? Oh, no! Master Draco was always so kind to Dobby. Dobby is wondering why he not see him yesterday." The elf's distress was tangible. Harry put a comforting hand on the tiny shoulder before him.

"When he wakes up, could you give him a glass of water, some hot tea and some saltine crackers?" Dobby nodded emphatically, his ears flopping wildly.

"Anything!" a second later he was gone with a 'pop'. Harry left and rushed off to breakfast, hoping his friends hadn't noticed how long he's been gone.

Having been handed his schedule by his head of house, Harry saw he had Double Potions first thing, followed by Herbology and Divination. After that he had lunch and a free period then Charms and Defense. Sighing dramatically for the benefit of his loudly complaining classmates, Harry rose and returned to the tower to fetch his school books. On the staircase to Gryffindor tower, Harry had a strong pain in his chest and vision began to get dark around the edges. Wincing and wondering what was wrong with him now, Harry walked the rest of the way slowly.

Breathless from pain, he said the password to the concerned Fat Lady. He was practically crawling up the stairs to his dorm and his vision was flickering. Opening the door, he stumbled over to his bed but didn't make it and ended holding himself upright with his trunk. Ron and Hermione were still there and had been watching him come in, but hadn't bothered to help. As Harry panted, trying to regain some composure, Ron made a few rude comments and Hermione had scoffed at them.

Already in pain, Harry snapped. All of a sudden, his pain was gone. He stood gracefully, extremely angry.

"Faking it, were we? There's no one here so he must have been practicing for next time." Harry stood with his back to them, his hands fists clenched at his sides, his eyes closed. It was Hermione's false laughter that made him turn around abruptly. She fell silent when she saw his eyes. They were black except for the iris, which was a dazzling metallic green. As if she was in a trance, she got off of Ron's bed and walked slowly towards him. Ron's smile slipped off of his face.

"H-hermione? Where are you going?" Harry's eyes hardened as he looked at Ron. Ron's eyes widened fearfully as he saw the pure hatred and cruelty in those eyes. Harry was feeling strangely free and extremely vindictive. He pulled Hermione so she was pressed against his side by one of his arms. He threw the other arm towards the door, causing it to close and lock, without looking away from Ron who was frozen like a deer in headlights. Harry brought his hand around in front of him slowly, relishing the fear on the redhead's face as he pointed directly at him. Ron found himself across the room, tied to a chair, facing his own bed.

Harry smiled smugly. He had more than enough time to teach them a lesson. He threw Hermione onto Ron's bed none to gently, but she didn't seem to mind at all. Harry shrugged off his robes and took off his grey vest and white button down shirt, folding them and putting them on the top of his trunk. As he pulled his belt out of the loops in his pants one by one, he heard a choked gasp come from the other side of the room. He looked up, smiling viciously at Ron who had understood what Harry was planning to do. He looked back down and unbuttoned his trousers. Turning so his back was to Ron, he pulled them down deliberately, making sure his back muscled flexed and emphasized the markings on his back he had discovered that morning in the shower.

It looked like a tattoo, a very intricate and elaborate one too, of two abstract wings. Straightening, he rolled his back and the tattoos seemed to peel themselves off of his skin, hanging on by only one line, and lengthening until his wings were fully revealed. Looking over his shoulder slyly, Harry saw the horror and realization in his eyes. _This was only the beginning._ Turning towards the bed where Hermione lay, docile and staring at the ceiling, Harry moved so he was standing over her legs which were bent at the knew over the edge of the bed. Grabbing one of them, he rearranged her so that the top of her head was facing Ron. Harry removed his underwear, throwing them carelessly behind him. He stared right into Ron's eyes and began to stroke himself, ordering Hermione to take off her panties, which she did.

When she had lain back again, Harry spread her legs and stood between them. She was at the perfect height. Never breaking eye contact with the other boy, Harry entered her. She gasped. Ron began weeping, fat tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched, helpless. Harry's wings fanned out behind him, fluttering occasionally, is tail lashing from side to side. He didn't see the point in transforming completely, just enough to frighten them. There was silence other than Hermione's moans of pleasure and Ron's sobs. Smiling at Ron, he made a beckoning motion with a clawed finger, drawing the chair and it's captive closer. Ron strained against the ropes to no avail, sobbing harder then before. Harry vanished his clothes and smirked. Ron's cock was hard and dripping, even as he cried.

"Touch yourself." Harry ordered. In Ron's vision, Harry's eyes seemed to flare and he lost control of his body. The ropes on the chair loosened and Ron's hand found his lap and the hardness that was there. Still aware of what was happening, his sobs became full body shakes as his hand manipulated his body. Harry began to thrust faster into Hermione who was keening loudly and gave a long, low moan as he came. The emptiness receded, but came back almost instantly, though less threatening than it had been before. Grabbing Hermione's limp hand, which had been under her blouse, fondling her breasts he looked at her wrist, and sure enough was a dark lightning bolt shaped marking. A wail came from Ron as ropes of white fell across his thighs, mixing with the tears there.

Smiling, Harry redressed and packed up his school bag.

"We must do this again sometime!" he said grinning as he left. When he closed the door, he could hear cries of, "Hermione! Hermione!"

Reaching the dungeons just in time, Harry's friends poked fun at him for not having been prepared. Harry frowned.

"How was I unprepared?" Dean looked at him seriously.

"Harry, haven't you noticed that every year so far, we've had Snape first _every year_?" Harry blinked. It was true. Every year had started with potions. He shrugged.

"I like to be optimistic, what can I say?" Neville smiled and shook his head. They headed into the room, just as dark and dreary as it had been last year, but it didn't bother Harry as much anymore. Halfway through their conversation about Quidditch, Snape billowed into the classroom, causing everyone to fall silent.

Glaring at seemingly ever individual in turn, Snape finally sat down and addressed the class. This year you are all taking your NEWTS. I expect you all to keep up with the course work. Anyone who cannot will fail immediately. Some of you I am surprised to see here," he glared a Harry who wasn't looking at him, but at his levitating quill, "and some of you I don't understand how you are here at all." Here he gave Neville his signature sneer.

"Speaking of which, I will need someone to take an extra set of notes for Mr. Black until he recovers." Snape looked at the students expectantly. Harry looked around. Unsurprisingly, the Gryffindor's were looking anywhere but at Snape. What was surprising was that none of the Slytherin's volunteered either. Not even Pansy and Blaise who had been worried about Draco at the feast. Feeling disgusted Harry raised his hand.

"I'll do it professor." Everyone turned to look at him in shock, even Snape. No one commented or laughed. Harry's face was totally serious. Snape glared at him suspiciously.

"Fine Mr. Potter. At the end of every class, you will show me these notes so I can be sure of their quality." Harry nodded once and put his hand down.

"Today you will be making the Draught of Living Death, a potion I believe you are all familiar with." Snape droned on and on and finally waved his wand, making the instructions appear on the board. Seamus was Harry's partner and Dean had been forced to work with a Slytherin because of Ron and Hermione's absence. Coming back from the storeroom, Seamus placed the ingredients on table as Harry scribbled the instructions down.

"Mate, where do you reckon Hermione and Ron got off to?" Harry shrugged as he wrote.

"No idea." He mumbled. He picked up the wormwood and steeped it in a beaker of hot water. Seamus was pounding the asphodel roots into a fine powder. The potion was relatively simple ingredient wise. What was hard was the preparation. One had to pour in the power when the infusion was at exactly the right temperature and stir it precisely 4 time clockwise and 7 counter-clockwise.

He was just measuring the temperature of their cauldron when, from behind him, he smelled the unmistakable odor of burning wood. Turning, he saw that Neville and Lavender's cauldron had melted into the table, spilling the potion and melting the table as well. Professor Snape strode up to their table slowly, deliberately, looking right at Neville, who was trembling. He looked at the mess, his upper lip curling in disdain. He took Neville's book from the boys lap, closed it firmly and handed it to him. The message was clear. Get out.

Neville began to pack, and when he was done, saw that Harry was looking at him sadly. He smiled unconvincingly at the other boy and left the classroom. Harry's conjured thermometer dinged and Seamus dumped the power into the infusion of wormwood and their potion turned a deep black color, just the way the book said it should. He pulled a crystal vial out of his bag and ladled some of the potion in. Since they were supposed to take the whole class to finish the potion, Harry and Seamus packed up their books and supplies and headed towards the front of the class.

"After we're done, don't wait for me. Go find Neville." Seamus nodded. Snape looked up from the summer assignments he was grading when a crystal vial was placed none too gently on his desk. He glared up at Harry who's eyes were narrowed and his arm crossed over his chest. Seamus hesitated for a moment before leaving quickly, almost breaking into a run.

"We're done, Professor. Technically, it's the end of class for me." He pulled a piece of parchment out of his bag and placed it in front of the sneering teacher. It was the notes for the class, printed neatly with instructions and observations written in the margins in different colored ink. Everything was precise and clear. Snape slid the paper back towards Harry who reached out to pick it up. Before eh had the chance to, Snape grabbed his hand and pulled him closer.

"Why are you doing this Potter?" Harry shook his head and wrenched his arm out of the other's grip. Dusting off his sleeve imperiously, Harry smirked.

"Because he's my friend." And with that, he picked up the parchment, turned and left without looking back at the stunned professor he had left in his wake. Since he had extra time, Harry went back to the Gryffindor common room. Sitting by the fire were Neville and Seamus. The latter was patting the former on the back, trying to get his morale up.

"My Gran already thinks I'm not worth it. I think I'm not worth it. Snape _knows_ I'm not worth it."

"Come of it mate," Seamus said bracingly. "There's always Charms and Care of Magical Creatures. Let's not forget Herbology!" Neville shook his head and shrugged his friends hand off of his shoulder.

"Gran says those are soft options. She wants me to be an Auror, just like my parents." Harry walked further into the room upon hearing that. Taking off his school bag and flopping unceremoniously onto the armchair across from the couch his friends were sitting on, Harry addressed Neville.

"Neville, follow your own path. You're your own person. If your Gran doesn't understand that, she can get stuffed. Do what makes you happy. Mail her and tell he she can shove it. You're 17 now, yeah?" Neville nodded.

"Then legally an adult! Just tell her you don't want to be an Auror. You don't do you?" Neville shook his head.

"There you go then!" Looking a bit less hopeless and more determined, Neville stood up abruptly, nearly causing Seamus to fall off the seat.

"I'm going to send a letter to Gran. She's on vacation in Japan so I won't hear from her for about a month, but that's plenty of time to get my life straight!" Harry and Seamus cheered Neville on as he went into the dorm room to collect some paper and a quill and head to the Owlery. As Harry and Seamus chatted, someone made their way down the stairs. It was Hermione. As soon as she spotted Harry, she mad eher way towards him and seated herself in his lap, not stopping his conversation, Harry put an arm around her waist and held her close to him.

Finishing his sentence, he looked at her face and smiled, kissing her on the cheek, causing her to giggle girlishly and blush. Seamus' eyes widened, but he managed to school his expression before the two of them looked up. Harry grinned impishly.

"Hermione had a change of…heart. Didn't you, love?" She blushed again and nodded. Harry kissed the corner of her mouth and sent her on her way. Turning back to Seamus, he raised a brow expectantly. Not sure what Harry wanted, he bit his lip and gave a slight shrug. His friend rolled his eyes.

"I asked you what class you have next."

"Oh. Um, I have Charms with Dean." Harry hummed and closed his eyes.

Herbology and Divination went by quickly as nothing interesting happened. In Herbology, Professor Sprout had them squeezing the stinksap out of a Mimbulus Mimbletonia, a thoroughly unpleasant job that Neville excelled at. Everyone else was covered with the green, sticky, smelly substance, but only Neville's gloves had any sap on them. Divination had gone the same as usual. Professor Trelawney made predictions about Harry's approaching death and Harry and Dean made sure that their tea leaves confirmed everything she said. They were rewarded by her wailing and swooning and mourning the fact that such strong second sight was wasted on someone who was going to die soon.

It was finally Harry's free period. He sneaked off when his other friends were occupied eating lunch and made his way to the seventh floor corridor. It was darker than usual because none of the torches had been lit. not thinking much about this minor detail, Harry did his pacing and was faced with an already familiar wooden door.

Opening the door slowly, Harry saw that someone hand drawn the curtains in the sitting area. The room was bright and the sun made the warmth of the wood more evident. Sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket was Draco. He looked up when he heard the door opening. Seeing it was Harry, he gave a small smile and shifted slightly, making room on the couch.

Shutting the door behind him, Harry sat next to Draco. He hadn't heard from Draco since his note on his birthday, but hadn't thought anything of it.

"Thank you." A tired voice said from his right. Looking over at his no-longer-an-enemy-but-not-quite-a-friend, Harry gave him a huge grin. Draco released a breath he hadn't known he was holding and leaned over, resting his head on Harry's shoulder. Harry automatically brought his right hand up to thread through the now shoulder length blond hair.

"Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for sending Dobby. I really needed a hair cut." Here he gave a tired chuckle. Harry looked down at his face and saw that Draco didn't look as ill as he had before.

"You're looking a lot better." Harry commented. Draco nodded.

"I was able to keep the crackers down along with some fruit juice. Uncle Sev brought me some nutrient potions as well." Harry almost choked.

"_Uncle Sev_?" he asked incredulously. Draco chuckled again.

"Yup." Harry snorted. The two sat in silence for a long while, Draco watching the fire and Harry playing with his hair, staring off into space. Draco spoke, pulling Harry from wherever he had been.

"This summer was hard. The Dark Lord tried to recruit us." Harry knew that by 'us' Draco meant the 7th year Slytherins. "The night before he was going to induct me, my father took me aside, gave me a handful of galleons and told me to run. Run and don't come back. After that he disowned me. Whatever way he did it, he did what he did to keep me safe. He may be an evil man, but he's a good father." Harry leaned his head against the other boy's comfortingly, and Draco snuggled further into Harry's side.

"So where did you go?"

"Where could I go? Everyone who knew me was either on the Light side or a Death Eater. I tried to live in the Muggle world, but that didn't work out so well. Soon enough I had no money and I had to try and find my way on my own. Muggle London is very confusing. I managed to make my way here and by chance arrived during the Welcoming Feast. The rest, you know already." Here, Draco yawned. Harry suddenly felt extremely concerned and slightly upset.

"Why didn't you try to find me?" he knew it was a silly question, but he still felt the need to ask it. Draco's eyelids drooped slightly.

"You already have enough problems Potter. I didn't need to be one of them." Harry's chest stung with an emotion he couldn't quite place. He jut felt that if Draco had come to him, he could have done _something_ to help. Harry wanted to ask him more questions, but he was fast asleep. Harry kept him pressed to his side for a while before picking him up and placing him in the bed. Draco reached out to him in his sleep and Harry squeezed his hand gently before leaving and going to his next class.

**Sorry this chapter is so short. I was in a hurry, but I wanted to give you guys something. I'm going to send it to my Beta as well and when she corrects it, I'll add more and post that one up, ok? Sound good?**

**Yours,**

**Lino Snape**


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